“We made some progress last night, or at least I thought we did,” Boehner told reporters. “But you know, when I see what the White House has to offer today, it’s really just more of the same.”

Add in the disputes over policy riders, and Reid said Thursday that he was “not nearly as optimistic” as he had been when leaving the White House Wednesday night. And in what were described as spirited exchanges Wednesday night, the president himself didn’t hide his growing impatience with Boehner’s stance.

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In the case of the policy riders, Democrats said they have agreed to a number of the lesser Republican amendments. But there has been little give on the half-dozen highest priority items— impacting healthcare reform, family planning programs and the Federal Communications Commission’s “net-neutrality” rulemaking, for example. And Reid told Boehner that Republicans hurt their own cause this week by pushing for what proved to be a series of unsuccessful votes this week on the question of limiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s power to address global warming and greenhouse gases.

The same issue had been the subject of a House-passed budget rider, now being negotiated. But having voted so recently, Reid’s argument is that senators will be that much more reluctant to revisit the debate again so quickly as part of an appropriations bill.

When asked if there were riders Boehner would shut the government over, he said “We’re going to continue to work our way through all of this and there’s no reason to draw any lines in the sand to make this more difficult than it already is.”

Boehner declined to talk about negotiations as he left a House Republican leadership meeting this morning, attended by House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.).

The speaker appeared on ABC News Thursday morning saying there’s “intent to try to resolve” the stalemate. He also assured tea party voters he represents them in negotiations.

“What they [the tea party] want is, they want us to cut spending,” Boehner told George Stephanopoulos on ABC News. “They want us to deal with this crushing debt that’s going to crush the future for our kids and grandkids. There’s no daylight there.”

Lawmakers have been told that they will likely be in session Friday and should prepare to stay in Washington this weekend.

Shut it down. Let's see how the President handles that crisis. I am betting he will leave the country for a while and then come back when a budget is worked out and tell all the drones that follow him like lemmings that he did a great job fixing Bush's budget mess.

If this much confusion can be created over 1% of a 6-month budget - prospects for REAL trouble with the debt ceiling debate and the full budget appear quite bad. What exactly is the GOP asking for? The Ryan plan to kill Medicare - a default on the national debt - Obama to be deported by the IMS? Does anyone know what the GOP wants from these talks - or the more important ones to come?

I'm confused. Yesterday the media were everywhere telling us that a deal had to be done by Wednesday in order to prevent the shutdown. And here the same media today are telling us a deal is still possible to prevent one. So, have we caught the media in another big lie? Seems so to me.

If this much confusion can be created over 1% of a 6-month budget - prospects for REAL trouble with the debt ceiling debate and the full budget appear quite bad. What exactly is the GOP asking for? The Ryan plan to kill Medicare - a default on the national debt - Obama to be deported by the IMS? Does anyone know what the GOP wants from these talks - or the more important ones to come?

Really do hope the President does not sign the CR presented by the Republicans.

That's it Mr. President stand on your principles for the cost of not buying a 20 oz coke over the period og a year to a person making 50k a year you are willing to teach those wicked people that still want a United States 50 years from now. You go Sir!!

If it's not the cutting of spending tha reall bother you then it must be those danged nasty policy riders that have you and the democratic leaderships' panties in a wad.

Just a reminder to all politicans: you were elected to represent the people of the United States and not your own self serving interests as well as to trying to secure an ongoing free lunch at the taxpayers expense. It is amazing how many of you forget that fact.

I can't help but notice that you charge only Republicans with your criticism. What about Democrats? What do you believe they want? And why didn't they pass a budget last year that would have eliminated this standoff? After all they had complete control of the budget process and still wouldn't say, let alone pass whatever it is they want? Have you no disparaging words for that either?

What do Democrats want - Mr Reid conceded it is ideology not numbers. Although it must be both if according to Mr Reid the numbers are basically there at $39 Billion.

Why didn't they pass a budget last year? - An open purse allows for implementation of ideology.

In truth here's what the Democrats want - I Want It All - www.youtube.com/watch

Boehner stood up in November after the election and started crying about how the budget was too important to allow the "lame duck" congress to finish and demanded that he and his newly elected cohorts be allowed to finish that work!!!!

so the next time republicans wonder why the budget didn't get finished, they only have themselves to blame